


Looking For the Lost One

by renegade_of_theworld



Series: Under the Ashes [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Gen, Hurt, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Loss, Order of the White Lotus, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Trauma, War, a little bit of treason, and doubts about it, sad uncle who lost (not dead) his nephew, the aftermath of the siege
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:15:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28882299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/renegade_of_theworld/pseuds/renegade_of_theworld
Summary: Iroh didn't find Zuko after the Siege of the North, the circumstances forced him to leave alone. Now, he has no idea what happened to his nephew, no idea if Zuko is even alive (he has to).he can't lose another sonIroh is going to do all he can to find the lost prince... not that the universe will help.
Relationships: Iroh & Jee (Avatar), Iroh & Ozai (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Under the Ashes [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2118129
Comments: 37
Kudos: 89





	Looking For the Lost One

**Author's Note:**

> "Under the Ashes" is a part of the universe I've accidentally created. It's where I'm gonna put stories not directly connected to Zuko.  
> It's the "background" part of the main series "From the Ashes."
> 
> Tho I think this story can be a stand-alone..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the answer to the question...  
>  _where is Iroh? ___

The moon spirit was safe, and the water tribe princess was gone.

The water tribe boy was sitting next to the pond; the water tribe girl stood next to him squeezing her hands into her chest; the Avatar was no longer himself, the Ocean Spirit took control over his body.

There was no sign of Zuko.

Iroh ran.

* * *

The ocean spirit didn’t aim at Iroh, he’d been caught in a bad place in a bad time. He was running close to the outer wall, looking for Zuko. He had to be somewhere. _He had to_. Then the wall collapsed, floes fell into cold waters of the north, Iroh lost his footing and fell.

He screamed and clung to the ice platform to avoid being swallowed by the tides. Iroh wouldn’t stand a chance against the furious water, the wave threw him too away from the city.

_Away from Zuko…_

A wave crushed over Iroh’s head, he barely managed to stay on the floe. When the water calmed he took a deep breath and warmed himself, hot steam evaporated from his whole body.

_Zuko learned the technique he would be okay…_

Was he still in the city? Was he, just like Iroh, floating on a piece of ice? Was he caught by the Northerners?

The spirit couldn’t take him… Spirits knew the truth of one's heart, they would know that Zuko wasn’t who he pretended to be.

 _Why did Iroh let him do this?_ No… If he’d tried to stop him, Zuko would’ve found his own – more dangerous – way to get what he wanted.

Iroh couldn’t lose him.

He wouldn’t survive the pain for the second time.

“Please… Nephew,” he whispered looking around the unforgiving water and ice. “Spirits, let him be safe.”

* * *

Iroh couldn’t do anything. The tide was taking him further and further away from the city. His thoughts were spiraling around Zuko, he didn’t care about his own thirst and hunger. He swore to protect the boy after everything he’d been through.

And he failed.

_Again._

* * *

After scanning the waters for any sign of Zuko, Iroh fell asleep from the exhaustion. A loud yell woke him.

 _Zuko_ , he thought…

“General! Oh, thanks Agni… General, over there!” the voice yelled, it wasn’t Zuko’s voice. “Come on! Help him up!”

Iroh looked at the wrack of one of the ships sent for an invasion. They told him it’s the only one that survived the spirit rage, that those twenty people aboard are the only survivors. Some soldiers only laid on the ground with fevers or bloody injuries. Jee and five other people Iroh didn’t know were the only ones trying to keep the ship afloat, trying to keep their comrades alive.

Zuko wasn’t there.

Nobody has mentioned him, which means nobody had seen him. For them, the banished prince of the Fire Nation died in the recent explosion. For Zuko’s sake, Iroh had to stick to this lie… His brother would love to blame his son if he knew he was in the North.

Zuko had to be all right.

He had to.

* * *

The ship was a wreck – broken chimneys, destroyed boilers, the rusty metal that could turn into a hole at any moment. Almost no supplies or medical materials. But none of those problems had made Iroh wanted to scream and throw fire around out of rage.

It was the destroyed hawkery.

Without any messenger-bird, Iroh couldn’t write to Pakku, couldn’t get any information, couldn’t secure Zuko in his hypothetical imprisonment. Through the last years, Pakku wasn’t the most active member of the order, he’d isolated himself just as the Northern Water Tribe. His old friend didn’t know about his nephew's banishment, didn’t know about the cruelty of Ozai, didn’t know that Zuko was _the opposite_ of Ozai.

Even Zuko didn’t know that yet…

Out of all possibilities, the scenario where Zuko was captured was the best and Iroh prayed for it. This way he wouldn’t freeze in the ice deserts or cruel waters, this way he wouldn’t get into a fight with waterbenders and wouldn’t kill or get killed.

Zuko would survive the imprisonment – Zuko was good at surviving.

So, Iroh threw himself into work. The faster they get to the land the faster he could write to Pakku and reunite with Zuko.

 _Agni…_ let him be safe.

* * *

It was taking way too long. Iroh didn’t care that it was just the third day of their attempts of sailing on the rusty piece of metal. He didn’t want Zuko to be alone, without knowing what happened to him or the soldiers. Iroh didn’t want his nephew to feel abandoned.

Lost in his thoughts he stepped into the only one working boiling room and found the crew in the middle of some kind of gathering. Five of them were sitting on the salvaged crates when the other two keep an eye on the machinery.

Iroh felt he’d interrupted something important. He bowed with a polite smile on his lips and turned to the door.

“No! General,” said one of the younger soldiers, a young woman named Aikezo. She stood up from her crate, “please sit with us.”

Iroh smiled without moving towards them. “I understand if you are not comfortable to speak your mind in my presence, but I assure you I have no problem neither with leaving you alone or listening to your honest thoughts.”

“Nonsense, General Iroh,” said Jee. “Please join us.”

Iroh saw unsure looks and tensed smiles but moved towards the free sit. He expected the silent moment to last longer but after few seconds young, hot-headed navigator spoked.

“With all due respect, General Iroh, but the whole invasion was a pure bullshit!” the navigator fumed, standing up from his seat. “We are fucking Fire Nation. _Fire!_ ” He lighted a small, flickering flame in his palm. “Why the fuck firebender would want to be any close to that ice desert?! It’s the dumbest shit I’ve heard and done… Don’t you even let me start about this ash-head Zhao… Ugh! What idiot chose him to command?! I wouldn’t let him take care of my flaming-cactus! This fool would mess even such a simple thing!”

“Osuzi! Control yourself!” Jee rebuked him.

Iroh paused a chuckle. “I have an answer to one of your questions, Navigator Osuzi… I’m afraid _‘the idiot’_ is my brother.”

“Then tell him he’s fucking stupid,” Osuzi growled.

The oldest, except for Iroh, of the soldiers on the ship, covered his mouths after a sharp inhale. “Do you know who are you talking about?!”

“About some idiot.”

Everyone in the room held their breath, the navigator crossed his arms glaring at everyone around. Lieutenant Jee rubbed his face, the man was used to hearing many different things back at Zuko’s ship, Iroh sometimes wondered if there was anything that could surprise him anymore.

Jee looked at Iroh resigned and then turned to the navigator. “Osuzi, for Agni’s sake, you know who _Prince Iroh’s_ brother is?”

The navigator's eyes widened. “ _Fuck_ …” Osuzi muttered, then turned to Iroh. “Please tell me Fire Lord Azulon had three children.”

“I’m afraid not,” Iroh said.

The navigator shrugged. “Huh… Then I guess I will tell him that personally, before my execution… _‘My Lord I wanted to humbly ask you to fuck off and kiss my executed ass’_ … I have to start practicing.”

“You can’t say such things about the Fire Lord!” exclaimed one of the soldiers. “I know that the invasion… um, that it didn’t work but – but he wants the best for the nation… You – you can’t say that!”

“I can’t say that!?” the navigator challenged him, his voice filled with anger. “You know who can’t say that?! All soldiers who died because of another idiotic plan! As long as I can, I will fucking speak for them!”

Tears gathered in the navigator’s eyes but any of them didn’t drop.

“I had a brother in 41st and I still believed in… _everything_ ,” he said quietly, looking down. “I had to be in the middle of the disaster to finally see the things how they are…” The navigator looked at Iroh without fear, his chin proudly raised in a challenging manner. “I’m perfectly aware that what I said is treason, and I don’t regret any word, My Prince,” he said bowing his head.

Iroh wanted to speak but the panicked voice of the old soldier interrupted him.

“I don’t think that! I’m not a traitor!” he yelled, his voice shaking, he was looking straight at Iroh.

Iroh cleared his throat. “I’m not going to repeat anything I’ve heard. Personally, I think it’s healthy to have doubts. Also, any of you won’t have to face the Fire Lord and be responsible for what happened. I’m taking this on my shoulders to confront my brother.” Iroh looked at the navigator. “I’m sorry for your loss, Navigator Osuzi. I don’t consider you as a traitor, after all, you have been through you have the right to question the man responsible for it.”

The navigator looked Iroh in the eyes, then he opened and closed his mouth a couple of times. Finally, he spoke, “Is it true what they say about the prince? That he’d objected?”

Iroh glanced briefly around the room and met his eyes with Jee, the man sadly looked down. He swallowed an anxious feeling in his throat before answering. “Yes, Zuko spoke out to save those lives.”

“And now the young prince is dead,” the navigator said sadly.

_Iroh knew it wasn’t true. It couldn’t be. Zuko was alive._

He closed his eyes and nodded towards the navigator.

“May Agni take care of him,” the navigator muttered.

Everyone in the room muttered a similar prayer.

Iroh too.

_Agni, take care of him and help him survive whatever mess he got himself into._

Zuko had to be alive – there was no other option.

 _Not again…_ said the voice in the back of his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm open to all comments!
> 
> I really want to know your thoughts if you read "From the Ashes" and wondered where is Iroh.  
> And I'm extremely curious about the feelings of people who didn't read it (hello to you if you happened to find this story, I hope you enjoyed it!)
> 
> Tell me how Iroh's narrative felt 🤔 I was always a little afraid of his pov


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